Originally Posted by
FDXLAG
Essentially the company has no choice, it is a seniority drill. If you are a bus guy and want an MD-11 type you bid it and take the seat. A couple of month from now someone Jr get flushed. The company prefers big bids and big training letters. Small bids and training letters and they would not have this problem. But when you have an excess bid for all seats, the senior guy gets his choice anyways, it is more efficient for the company to get guys to do the drill voluntarily. The excess in a couple of months will just staple guys to the bottom of the training letter.
I understand the concept of the seniority drill for the vacancy bid but what I fail to see the point of is the creation of secondary vacancies (unless you need the manning) which are in no way contractual or even needed to honor seniority. If someone wants to hold the MD then they can snag it if excessed/bidding to relieve assuming their seniority allows. If they wanted the Md(or any airplane) before then they should have bid it during the last vacancy posting in which it had vacancies.
My point is simply that secondaries are normally created when a manning shortage exists due to moves on a bid. The company has every opportunity to solve a huge chunk of the excess on the MD (if there is one) by simply not filling secondaries. Contractually valid & much cheaper!